The Survivors
by Crazy Cherries
Summary: "You see that big black space right between them? That's reserved. It's reserved for us. They're waiting Sakura, and one day… One day, we'll join them." Warning: Character deaths and it's a little rough around the edges.


_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto._

The Survivors

* * *

I look up at the starry night sky and sigh. Working at the hospital is tough. Watching people die is tough. I became a doctor to watch people live, not die. Unfortunately for me, death seems like a permanent companion.

Halfway back to my apartment I see Kakashi sensei sitting on a rooftop.

"I never seem to die." He says it to himself, and I don't think he notices me.

"You say that like you want to." He looks over at me, surprised, as I sit down next to him. So he did think he was alone.

"What are you doing here?"

"Comforting you, what else?"

"Sakura-"

"Besides. You're not the only one." He looks over at me with sad eyes.

"We're always left behind aren't we?" I tilt my face towards the sky again.

"Yeah, it's almost not fair. Sometimes…sometimes I wonder why…I wonder why I'm left behind when all those who should be here, all those who should be alive are dead. Dead and gone."

"If there's one thing I've learned in all my years of surviving Sakura, it's this. The dead are never truly gone. They're always watching over you. They're in your heart, in the air around you. They're the stars in the sky that watch over and protect you. And they're the reason you keep living."

"I guess so. I must be really protected huh? It seems that they're the reason I never die. So many are up there. It's just that I miss them so much."

"I know, Sakura, believe me, I know."

"I know you do… Sometimes I can't help but wonder if the reason I'm still here is because there's no room up there, in the sky. With them."

"No. The reason is they don't want you dead."

I point my finger to the sky. "That star right there is my mom, and the one next to her is my dad."

Kakashi points to one a little away from there. "That's where my dad is, and my mom's two stars over."

I point to a star further away. "And there are Ino and Shikamaru. I bet they're fighting over how lazy Shika is."

Kakashi points to one right above them. "There's Asuma and Choji."

"And there's Kiba and Akamaru and Shino's right underneath them, counting his bugs."

"And there's Kurunai."

"And there's Hinata and Neji."

"There's Gai…and Hiashi."

"And Hiashi's wife."

"Obviously. Hizashi's right next to Neji."

"And Neji's mom's on the other side."

Kakashi points up, back up towards Gai. "There's Lee, right above Gai."

I smile sadly. "Gai sensei always lifts Lee up above him, doesn't he?"

"He loves Lee, like his own."

"Speaking of Lee, right next to him and right underneath Neji, there's Tenten. And there, a few spaces over, to the left of Hinata. Do you see it? That's Hinabi."

"And right over there," Kakashi points to a space on the other side of the sky, "that's where the third Hokage is."

"Well, right next to him happen to be all the rest."

"In order of course. And don't forget, there's Kushina, right by her husband."

He chuckles and I laugh. "Of course… all of them are up there in order… except for Tsunade."

"She's like us, isn't she?"

"Yeah." I move my finger. "There's Dan. And there's her little brother, Nawaki."

"There's Jiraiya," he says softly.

I sniff. "Stupid old pervert. Always trying to peak on us."

Kakashi chuckles and tries to hide his book from me. "There's nothing wrong with a little peaking for great material."

"Shut up sensei!"

He just laughs a little bit harder before sobering up, "Sorry."

I sigh, "It's okay. Look there's Sai!"

"I was right. Painting was his downfall."

I look at Kakashi weirdly, "No it wasn't. It was poison."

"I know. I just wanted to be right about something and he's not here right now so…"

Suddenly I see a paint splatter on Kakashi's book, "Hey. I didn't see that on your book before."

He looks confused. "It wasn't… Damn you Sai! You should be down below, not up above."

I start laughing. "Sensei, you really should relax before he ruins your whole book."

Kakashi's muttering under his breath, "Causing me pain even through his death."

"Look there's Yamato and Iruka sensei." Kakashi sensei sighs, knowing I'm just trying to get him to move on from his book.

"I think Iruka always hated me."

"No he didn't. Stop being over dramatic."

"Yeah he did. Didn't you notice the glare he'd give me over Naruto's head?"

"There was no glare sensei. You're just being melodramatic."

"Hey Sakura?"

"Yeah?" Kakashi sensei moves my head a little to the right in a new section of the sky.

"You see that star right there, to the direct right of the moon?"

I nod. "Yes. I do."

"That right there's Rin, and over there, right next to her is Obito. He's always the last star in the sky, you know."

"Why?"

"That's because he's always had this bad habit of being late."

"It seems like you had way too many bad influences when you were younger."

"That hurts Sakura."

I smile at him, and then ask the question I've been longing to ask for a while, "Why'd you get rejected?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why didn't you become a star? Why'd you come back here?"

"Because… I wasn't ready to be a star yet. So they sent me back down here whether I liked it or not." He chuckles, "Seems like I didn't fit in there."

"Do you wish they didn't?"

"Sometimes, but sometimes I'm glad they did. I can't be a survivor from up there, now can I?"

"No. I guess you can't."

"Look Sakura." Kakashi sensei says it like a whisper and I follow his lone eye.

"There, in their very own part of the sky is the whole Uchiha clan. They get their own portion because they're prestigious."

"Sasuke's the one all the way at the top." I sniff and rub my eyes. The tears are almost here.

"Of course. He wouldn't let anyone get above him, now would he?"

"Not even Itachi."

"Nope. Itachi's right over there, below him and to the right. By their parents."

"I'm glad they're all together again."

"Maybe being with his brother can heal some of Sasuke's cockiness, huh Sakura?"

"Yeah." I smile for all of two seconds before it falters and I'm frowning again.

"And there's…there's Naruto. Right up by him, on the far right of his own parents."

"They'll get to know each other better now. Naruto's had a tough life. Naruto and Sasuke are like brothers, next time we see them they'll be too much like each other." He sighs like he's dreading seeing them again.

I stand up and tilt my head back so I can still look up at the Naruto-star.

"He lied to me you know? He lied to all of us."

"Who? Naruto?"

"Yeah." I glare up at his star.

"YOU WANTED TO BE HOKAGE! WHAT HAPPENED? HUH? DID YOU GET LAZY? YOU RAMEN-EATING FREAK! REMEMBER? YOU SWORE TO ME! TO US, THAT YOU WOULD BE HOKAGE SOMEDAY! YOU KNUCKLE-HEADED NINJA! I BELIEVED YOU! WE ALL DID! WELL YOU CAN'T BE HOKAGE FROM UP THERE NOW CAN YOU? YOU'RE NOT ONE TO BREAK PROMISES! SO GET DOWN HERE YOU IDIOT! GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW! Get down here."

I break down into sobs and Kakashi sensei holds me.

"Shh, Sakura, it's okay. It's all going to be okay."

"No. It's not."

"I know."

"He lied sensei."

"I know."

"I'm gonna kill him."

"I know."

"Can you say something other than that?"

He tilts my head up and points to an empty space between Naruto and Sasuke.

"You see that big black space right between them? That's reserved. It's reserved just for us. They're waiting Sakura, and one day… One day, we'll join them."

* * *

_Something I just thought of and decided to write down. Let me know what you think okay? And no, it's not Kakasaku. Well…maybe if you want it to be it is, but not to me. Wow…it took me almost two hours to right this._

_I was reading 'Butterflies' by The Sky's Bouquet when I got an inkling of this idea. It's a good story, so go on and read it!_

_Flames and criticisms are welcome as long as you review. :)_


End file.
